IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp is ready to play the waiting game this weekend as she looks to defend her title on a Kona course that she accepts is very different to the one where she clinched glory in Nice last year.
Aware that the rolling hills of the Big Island’s bike section are pretty much the polar opposite of the challenging climbs and descents that she mastered so well on the French Riviera in 2024, the German athlete believes patience will be the key in her pursuit of repeat success.
Knowing that at some stage, someone will need to take a risk if they are going to challenge for a podium finish, she is ready to bide her time before pressing the ‘go’ button.
Preparing in Maui
Unbeaten so far in competition this season, the 38-year-old has spent the last few weeks on the island of Maui acclimatising and preparing for a race that she believes could prove a major milestone in her already hugely impressive career.
The differences between Nice and Kona are acute, with timezone, humidity and course variables all very much factors for Philipp to overcome as she seeks to prove that she is capable of being the very best of the best on both European and American soil.
Talking to Bob Babbitt on his latest Kona edition of ‘Breakfast with Bob’ – which has been embedded into this article below – Philipp revealed just how tough she was finding the switch as she continues her intense preparations.
“I really felt like the Nice course was a great opportunity for me to show my strengths and skills and use the bike to make a difference,” she said. “Obviously, that is something that is not really required on the Kona course. Kona is very different. I will probably have to be very, very patient for a very long time, and I’m not even sure if the Kona course will even offer me the possibility to go for the win.
“It’s definitely something I dream of, and I think I’m capable of, but I’m missing the big climbs from the Nice coast. When I planned the season, I knew the Kona course was so different, and it’s kind of against my strengths. Nice was way more within my strength profile.
“But that is the next great challenge. If you want to further yourself, then I think having the Kona course now with the conditions and the depth of the competition is really the next challenge, and this is so exciting. I think to show that I could also win on a different course would really mean a lot, and would be another really big milestone in my career.”
Successes fueling belief
Alongside an intense training programme, which she says has left her feeling ‘smashed’ at times due to the 80-90% humidity, Philipp knows that she can also draw on her recent success to fuel her belief that a second title very much remains a possibility.
As well as having the confidence of being a returning champion, she can also hark back to some of her most impressive performances this season – including the stunning 2:38:27 run which clinched success in Hamburg over rival Kat Matthews in June.
Whether such a pace will be possible at Kona is something that her training schedule is designed to figure out, for knowing just how far she can push her body will be crucial to deciding when she can kick on and take that all-important plunge for glory.
“The person who wants to win really needs to risk something at some point,” she says. “I don’t think there is any holding back to play it safe. Everyone who wants to be on the podium at Kona really needs to risk something at some stage, and that means you are stepping into unknown territory – you don’t know if you can hold on, or maybe you have to walk, or you won’t even make it to the finish line.
“Having trained here now for two weeks, you realise there is a very fine line between being able to hold on to a certain pace, or overdoing it and overheating. It really comes down to having a really good feeling for your body and listening to your body’s needs, and knowing how far you can push. Hamburg was a really good exercise for that. I didn’t really look at my watch during the run; I listened to my body, and I raced by gut feeling.
“Confidence is super important, and Hamburg showed me that I have the right to be confident. I know I can do this. I did it, so it’s possible. I think this is what really counts in a world championship race, that you listen to your gut and you have a good understanding of your body, and you prepare for the conditions so that you can understand your body way better.”
Close encounter expected
So what does the German superstar believe we have in store this weekend? Well, all the signs are pointing to one of the closest and most dramatic women’s events in the modern era.
“I think you really need those kinds of battles that Kat and I had in Hamburg to get the best out of yourself,” she says. “I think this is probably what female racing will look more and more like in the future. We’ve just got a glimpse of how intense the male edition was in Nice, and I think it’s likely that we may see something like this at Kona as well, as our field is also getting deeper and deeper, and the battles are getting more intense.
“I don’t have too many tactics or cards to play. I think everyone knows that I won’t be out of the water in the front. It will be a question of how big that deficit is, which will most likely define how I will try to race on the bike, and I think, in the end, the race will be decided on the run.
“It’s a very tough marathon, and you really need to be able to run a strong last 10K. The field is strong, it’s really exciting, and we have three athletes who have already won the World Championships. I think we will see some very strong and intense battles going on, and I think most likely they will continue through to the very end of the marathon.
“I’m hoping that everyone will be well entertained at home. watching us suffer, and hopefully, I will be moving through the field. We haven’t had one of those really close finishes yet for the women at the World Championships, you know, like a Mark Allen and Dave Scott or, like we just saw with the Norwegians. But I do think that’s coming.”
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